Getting ready to start this years journey. Our first major stop will be Chattanooga. Tn.
Has anyone here stayed there before and can recommend a marina for about a month's stay?

BananaTom

04-29-2015, 03:51 PM

Happy Motoring

Tony B

04-30-2015, 02:29 PM

Thanks Tom

I will be down around Mobile for a day or 2 at the most. Helping a friend bring a sailboat up to the Tenn. River.
I wont have transportation so if you can come up, it would be nice. If not, perfectly understandable.

Regards

Tony B

longjohn

05-06-2015, 06:51 AM

Lot's of marinas near Chattanooga depending on what you want to be near. Last I heard, Marine Max managed transient dockage on the city riverfront. No protection from wakes from river traffic at $1.50/ft. But it is downtown and walking distance from stuff. Avoid the city Riverbend Festival 6/5-13. Other marinas are upstream of Chickamauga Dam and 10-20 miles by road from downtown. Island Cove Marina is pricey but well run with lots of amenities. Harbor Lights and Shady Grove are small but OK; neither had a restaurant last I heard. There are several others. Harrison Bay State Park may offer transient and had a part time grill.

BananaTom

05-13-2015, 12:47 PM

Thanks Tom

I will be down around Mobile for a day or 2 at the most. Helping a friend bring a sailboat up to the Tenn. River.
I wont have transportation so if you can come up, it would be nice. If not, perfectly understandable.

Regards

Tony B

Sorry I missed you, just saw this.

My son just moved to Mobile, so we have been there often on the weekends.

Tony B

05-15-2015, 04:47 AM

Hey Tom

We got to Turner Marine Wed and been working on and getting familiar with my friends sailboat ever since. Little things like replacing the Battery Charger and getting used to the boat.
We will be in and out a lot shopping, taking the boat out so my friend can get used to it, etc. Anyway, if you get back up here this weekend, call me. Hopefully, we can get together even if just for short while. We are hoping to get out of here tomorrow afternoon even if we only get to the Convention center to tie up for the night. Just want to feel like we got started.
BTW, it must be nice having your son around again.

Tony B

BananaTom

05-15-2015, 06:46 AM

Hey Tom

We got to Turner Marine Wed and been working on and getting familiar with my friends sailboat ever since. Little things like replacing the Battery Charger and getting used to the boat.
We will be in and out a lot shopping, taking the boat out so my friend can get used to it, etc. Anyway, if you get back up here this weekend, call me. Hopefully, we can get together even if just for short while. We are hoping to get out of here tomorrow afternoon even if we only get to the Convention center to tie up for the night. Just want to feel like we got started.
BTW, it must be nice having your son around again.

Tony B

Staying in Pensacola this weekend, with lots going on. But yep, nice having the son 1 hour away instead of 3.5.
He lives on a small canal off Dog River, just a little north of Turner.

Since you guys are taking a sailboat up the Tenn Tom, are you going to motor all the way up?

Tony B

07-23-2015, 06:37 AM

Sorry I have been absent for a while, just haven't been on web much lately.
Anyway here is my update:
We left Joe Wheeler State around the first of June. Spent a dayes in Guntersville, Al. area and then went to Goose Pond Colony Marina and stayed almost 2 months. Part of that 2 month period was spent helping a friend get a new-to-him sailboat from Mobile, Al to Joe Wheeler State Park. That took 2 weeks which was fairly uneventful. Had to stop and make minor repairs along the way and also some weather days. Goose Pond marina is a great place to stay. We really enjoyed it there.
From there, we went Chattanooga, Tn which took a few days - 2 days actual travel and a few days at anchor. We didn't stay as long as we planned. Originally, I planned on spending a month there but we couldn't get a monthly rate from anyone and so after 4 days of doing the tourist thing, we felt like that was enough. We had been there before and so we had seen and done everything we wanted to.
After Chattanooga, our next main stop was going to be Tellico Lake/Little Tennessee River. It took 3 actual travel days and several anchoring out a dn marina days along the way. We ended up at Tellico Marina and all I can say is WOW!, this place is awesome both from a boat and a car point of view. Nothing like looking at the Smokey Mountains every day. After a few days here, we rented a car (Enterprise - very, very cheap on weekends) and drove back to Goose Pond Colony and retrieved my van.
We are on the Little Tennessee River AKA Tellico Lake 20 river miles south of the Tennesse River just short of Knoxville, Tn.
WE love it here, there is so much to see and do in the area, We have a very reasonable monthly rate and a great marina manager. We plan to stay here at least through the fall foliage and not sure if we will winter-over or not. And I thought retirement meant no major decision making.
Life is good.